South Yorkshire Police nominated for The National Police Bravery Awards
TWO South Yorkshire Police officers who superbly tackled a violent gun-toting man and got him off the streets of Sheffield have been nominated for The National Police Bravery Awards.
PC Emma Rae and PC Karen Gunnill – from Snig Hill Station – are the force’s winners for the prestigious event and will now join courageous colleagues from across England and Wales at the Awards in London.
It was back in January this year when PC Rae was patrolling Ecclesall Road in the city in a public order van when a call came in from CCTV alerting officers to a potential firearms incident.
Footage had shown a man dressed in a cream coloured puffa firing at least one shot from a weapon and pistol-whipping a man who was later found to have a fractured shoulder resulting from the incident.
The suspect then fled in a taxi.
Unarmed PC Rae managed to follow the cab in her van and radio in a description of it and the suspect.
She kept tracking the taxi while firearms officers were called to intercept.
The suspect then stopped the taxi and got out, incredibly pausing to pay the driver, before running off. Knowing he had to be detained to protect the public, PC Rae decided to pursue him on foot.
The suspect then ran around the corner into PC Karen Gunnill, also from Snig Hill, who had been on containment patrol in the area. The brave officer could see the man reaching for his waistband in an apparent attempt to get out the gun.
PC Gunnill challenged the suspect to stop what he was doing with her Taser drawn and fired it when he refused to comply.
That stopped the man in his tracks, and the officers managed to make the arrest. He was found to be carrying a lock-knife having discarded the gun, an imitation air weapon, before his arrest.
The suspect received 3 years in prison for the offence.
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chairman Steve Kent said the officers’ actions made them worthy nominees for the Award.
“As far as our colleagues knew this man was carrying a firearm and had already inflicted an injury on a member of the public,” he said.
“They are police officers though. And they carried on towards that danger with one thought in their minds. To protect the public from this dangerous individual.
“The officers knew he had to be detained as soon as possible and showed incredible determination and bravery to get the job done. We are very proud of them both.”
The National Police Bravery Awards honour officers from across England and Wales who have performed outstanding acts of bravery while on or off duty.
As nominees, PC Rae and PC Gunnill will attend a prestigious daytime reception and evening awards ceremony in London in July 2021. The 2020 event – the 25th National Police Bravery Awards – had been scheduled to take place this past summer but had to be cancelled due to Coronavirus.
Nevertheless the Police Federation of England and Wales wanted to take the opportunity to highlight the fantastic work of all 94 nominees from across the country online.
John Apter, National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “We are incredibly proud of all the nominees from across England and Wales. The actions of these courageous officers provide a small snapshot of the amazing work our colleagues carry out day in and day out.
“PC Emma Rae and PC Karen Gunnill proved once again how brave our colleagues across the country are. They had no idea that this was not a real weapon. What brilliant and courageous police work. We are very proud of them.
“As a Police Federation, we wanted to make sure these brave officers received the recognition they deserve in the year their actions were meant to be celebrated. And we look forward to seeing them all in person – and revealing regional and national winners – when the time is right in 2021.”
The National Police Bravery Awards are sponsored by Police Mutual.
John Perks, Chief Executive Officer of Police Mutual, said: “Police Mutual is, as always, proud to be supporting the National Police Bravery Awards in its 25th anniversary year. Despite having to postpone the original ceremony, the officers’ courage has never been forgotten – they all showed commitment to keeping the public safe in the most demanding of circumstances.
“We very much look forward to meeting all the nominated officers in July 2021 for the ceremony, and our chance to give our thanks in person.”